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"By all way"

Pitt watched the h the shaled up thethey were in the throes of abdoony He rated them two stars for their performance

After a suitable length of ti, he reasoned, Loren, Moran and Larimer would have taken their pl

aces in the pleasure boat He also knew full well the captain would not resuressmen apprehended

He left the railing and ers, who soon returned to their deck chairs and tables around the swi pools and cocktail bars He took the elevator down to his deck As the doors opened and he stepped out into the passageway, he rubbed shoulders with a steas entering

Pitt idly noticed the steas Asian, probably Mongolian if he was serving on a Russian ship He brushed past and continued to his cabin

The steward stared at Pitt curiously Then his expression turned to blank astonish there gawking when the door closed and the elevator rose without him

Pitt rounded the corner of the passageway and spied a ship's officer with several creaiting outside a cabin three down and across from his None of them displayed their usual shipboard conviviality Their expressions looked deadly earnest He fished in his pocket for the cabin key while watching out of the corner of one eye In a few moments, a stewardess came out and said a feords in Russian to the officer and shook her head Then they moved toward the next cabin and knocked

Pitt quickly entered and closed the door The tiny enclosure looked like a scene out of a Marx Brothers movie Loren was perched on the upper pullman bunk while Moran and Lari a tray of hors d'oeuvres that Giordino had s-room buffet table

Giordino, seated on a small chair, half in the bathroo?"

"The Cuban connection arrived," Pitt answered "They're drifting alongside, standing by to exchange passengers"

"The bastards will have a long wait," said Giordino

"Try fourbefore we'll all be chained and tossed on a boat bound for Havana"

"They can't help but find us," Larimer uttered in a hollow voice

Pitt had seen many such washed-out men-the waxen skin, the eyes that once blazed with authority now ehts